Mushroom Barley Soup Can Take A Chicken Stock Base

Beef stock usually supplies the base for Mushroom Barley Soup, but for this one the chicken soup stood in as a worthy alternative.

Beef stock usually supplies the base for Mushroom Barley Soup, but for this one the chicken soup stood in as a worthy alternative. (Linda Giuca)

LINDA GIUCA

Cooks with little time can skip the broth-making step by using store-bought chicken stock

When we spied a large soup chicken in the supermarket, making a pot of chicken broth seemed like a good idea.

The chicken went into the pot with an onion, a couple carrots and stalks of celery, a knob of fresh ginger root, bay leaf and a few sprigs of fresh parsley. We added enough water to cover the chicken and put it on a medium-high flame just until the water began to boil. Reducing the heat to low allowed the liquid to bubble gently for a couple of hours. The finished soup, along with the cooked chicken legs and thighs and the carrots, made a proper "comfort" meal for a raw, cold night.

There was enough broth and breast meat left over to make another soup. Beef stock usually supplies the base for Mushroom Barley Soup, but the chicken soup stood in as a worthy alternative.

Cooks with little time can skip the broth-making step and turn out this soup even more quickly by using store-bought chicken stock. A low-sodium variety is preferable because it gives the cook more control over the sodium content of the finished soup.

MUSHROOM BARLEY SOUP

>>1 tablespoon olive oil

>>2 carrots, peeled and sliced

>>2 stalks celery, sliced

>>1 medium red onion, peeled and chopped

>>8 cups (64 ounces) chicken broth

>>Cooked meat from 2 chicken breasts, shredded or chopped

>>½ cup barley

>>2 ounces mushrooms, sliced

>>A handful of baby spinach leaves, optional

>>Salt and pepper to taste

>>1 teaspoon fresh dill

>>Chopped dill and sour cream for garnish

Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add onion, celery and carrot, and saute, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Add chicken broth, chicken, barley and mushrooms. Bring liquid just to a boil, reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes. Stir in the spinach leaves, and season with salt, pepper and dill. Serve hot with a garnish of chopped dill and a spoonful of sour cream. Serves 6 to 8.